Welcome to The Budget Babe!

The Budget Babe is a blog for hotties on a budget, featuring the latest cheap-chic fashion news, designer and celebrity looks-for-less, and honest reports on the places we all love to shop.Read more >>

Friday, November 18. 2011

I bought the Target "Khadeja" desert boots (below) after thinking about them for weeks. But now I don't know what to wear with them. If I wear socks, are they supposed to show? And then how long should the pants be that I wear with them? I'm wondering if I am cool enough to pull these off! —Julianne

This is a great question, as there are a lot of similar lace-up boots in stores right now and styling them can be a bit challenging. I think the trick to pulling them off (and I definitely think you can!) is to make sure the styling looks intentional. If your socks show, make sure they coordinate with the rest of your look.

1. With tights: Wear your desert boots or other low profile lace-up booties with tights and an above-the-knee skirt or dress. Sweater tights in dark colors seem to work best.2. With socks: Pick a chunky sock in a wool or cashmere blend and kinda scrunch them down a bit. Experiment to find the sock that works for your legs.3. With skinny jeans: You can completely cover the top of the shoe with a skinny jean or legging. Pick a dark sock in a hue that matches the color of your jeans so that if they show when you sit, they won't visually break up that line.4. With a tightly rolled cuff: Here we see the jeans have been rolled up just a bit so as not to cover the top of the boot, but there's still really no sock line visible.5. With a loosely cuffed pant: Here we have a rolled cuff on a chino or khaki pant, which is wider than the ankle, and the ankles are bare. No socks needed.6. With a flare-leg or boot cut jean: The simplest option is to just cover much of your shoe with a flare or boot cut jean. Totally legit, although you won't get to show off your cool shoes quite as much.

Which look is your favorite? How do you wear desert boots or other lace-up ankle boots?

I LOVE these shoes!!! I bought a pair from target a couple months ago, and they're so comfy and have become my go to shoes for the fall/winter. I love them with skinny jeans, especially my colored ones. They definitely make whatever pair of pants I wear pop. I also really love them with shorts and a loose top. I get compliments all the time on them, I think the key is to just throw them on and go with it!

I agree with Elizabeth. I bought these shoes back in July and I'm completely in love! These shoes are so easy to wear everyday. I wear them with shorts, skinny jeans, dresses and flares. They're super comfy and I get compliments all the time. I can't wait to buy them in more colors!